Who really thinks about the tools we possess within our reach, especially when it comes to exercising leadership in our work, our communities and in our home? We tend to take the tools we have or could have for granted or maybe we don’t seek out the tools needed.

My goal in writing these articles is to try and touch someone, to resonate with someone to do more than they are doing now. Wow, asking others to do more can be a little tricky. I know I have to provide tools to make that happen and I hope you are getting some from these articles to help or continue to fill your “toolbox”. The key is not to put your toolbox on the shelf and forget about it. The tools should be where you can grab them at a moment’s notice.

These tools are tangible things that can be seen, felt, heard, smelled – using our senses. They can be a book or article that has been read, they can be a video that has been watched, and they can be step by step instructions on how to accomplish something. To truly make them a benefit, THEY MUST USED.

I’m going to give you a simple example. In my work, I spend a great deal of time on the computer. I generate and design everything from letters to flyers and websites. You can imagine the most important tool would be my computer and believe me if something happens to it, I’m lost. What are other tools we may not think about? I must have the programs it takes to do all of these things and I must have a printer but probably the most important tool I need is knowledge about how they all work. What I do not know, I seek out.

Here are a few tools to think about when making the decision to do more.

Building Trust and Relationships

Collaboration

Consensus

Engaging Others

Diagnosing a Situation or Issues

Create skillful interventions

Creative Thinking

Creating a vision

Understand How We Learn - Experiential Cycle

Recognizing the gifts and talents of others

Exercising leadership takes stuffing our toolbox with tools that will help us accomplish what we want to accomplish. It also takes being intentional and deliberate when we use our tools and who these tools are being used for. One size does not fit all but with some modifications to your tools, they will work.

For more information, contact Becky Wolfe, Executive Director of Leadership Butler at info@leadershipbutlerinc.org.